Promises to Keep
by LotsOfSmiles
Summary: "These woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep." [Furiosa/Max]
**_Author's Note:_**

 ** _Hi, everyone! This is my first FanFiction for Mad Max and I hope you like it! I don't own anything from Mad Max, obviously, and the quote used in the description of this story is an excerpt from Robert Frost's poem 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'. I hope you enjoy!_**

 _Imperator Furiosa! Our Savior! Imperator Furiosa!_

The screams of hundreds – thousands – of people formed a booming cry that had rattled her wounded, exhausted body. She hardly remembered being lifted into the air to the stone balcony with the remaining Wives by the War Pups. Her mind was buzzing with an overwhelming amount of activity, the edges blurred with agony from being stabbed, and yet she had forced herself to remain standing rigid and tense, feigning strength and control. She thought Max had been standing behind her, but then she caught a glimpse of him slipping away in the crowd. He had turned his head for a last look, and they locked gazes. The corner of his mouth twitched – almost a smile – and he gave a slight tilt of his head. She'd nodded back, and that was the last time she saw him.

Once she and the Wives reached the top of the tower, medics had rushed to Furiosa, helping her to the sick room. She didn't remember anything after lying on the bed. Unconsciousness had finally convinced her to fall into its dark warmth.

Time had flown, following her recovery. There had been so much to do; she didn't have time to reflect on their journey and victory. The Wives changed their title to the Sisters, and they immediately got to work. They planted all of the seeds that had once been owned by the Vuvalini in the soil that Immortan Joe had kept locked away. Much to everyone's joy, the seeds took and the Citadel slowly started becoming the Green Place that the Sisters had envisioned. Community gardens were set up all over the Citadel, and some of the Wretched were assigned the job of taking care of them. Within a couple of months, there were enough fruits, vegetables and herbs harvested and stored to begin rationing. After a year, each citizen of the Citadel was receiving a weekly and fair ration of clean water and food. The Wretched were no longer wretched – they were becoming nourished and happy. They were welcomed to live in the third tower and the lower level of the second tower. Those who were left without a home within the tower were provided with nicer tents and materials to build small but functioning homes. The first tower belonged to the Sisters and Furiosa and their most trusted workers. The Sisters lived together in their old room, minus the horrid door that had once kept them prisoners inside. They had invited Furiosa to live with them, but she'd politely declined. She loved them, that much was obvious, but she needed her own space to retreat to, and they understood.

Schools, hospitals and trading markets had been set up, jobs created and assigned according to skill. Nobody was left unemployed. A huge wall had been built around the Citadel to protect those who lived within. They had enemies thanks to the chaos that been created during the journey to the Green Place, but they also had a large and loyal army to serve along the wall. Every now and then, families or small groups of people would come to the Citadel. A man named Max had sent them, they would say. They were welcomed in and given the same treatment any citizen was given. He didn't just send them people; he would send anything of use that he found, such as weapons, ammo, seeds, and a few times he'd even found animals. The Sisters had excitedly accepted a stray dog that Max had sent. The dog had been at death's door from malnourishment and dehydration, but they nursed it back to life, and it was now just as healthy as they were. He'd also sent a rooster and a hen, a crate containing water and three fish, frogs, and a family of boar. This was all over the course of two years.

The Citadel was finally running smoothly and things were going well. Furiosa had kept the 'Imperator' title, though she'd done her best to simply go by her name alone. She was feeling at peace for the first time since she could remember.

"Imperator Furiosa."

She turned at the sound of the urgent voice that had spoken her name, looking at a War Pup who normally guarded the wall. She cocked an eyebrow, shifting the basket of cilantro into the crook of her good arm.

"Shouldn't you be at the wall, Marble?" Furiosa asked, not ungently. He nodded, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes, Imperator. I have news, though. Max has come back."

The world seemed to reel for a moment and her jaw slackened. Max hadn't shown his face in two years. Whether or not he was alive was never known until a random gift or person would show up. Three months ago, he'd sent two sunflower seeds with a single straggler from the Wastelands. But there had been nothing since then. Furiosa shoved the basket of cilantro into the arms of the War Pup.

"Take this to storage and document it. Where is he?" she demanded. The War Pup bowed his head.

"He's in the infirmary," he replied. With location in mind, Furiosa hurried to the lift to be taken down.

* * *

A cool, soft hand caressed his sweaty, dirty cheek.

 _"Max."_

He opened his eyes and stared blearily at Capable, who was leaning over him, the tips of her long, red curls brushing against his bare chest. He flinched from their closeness, but she didn't recoil. She pressed a cold, wet rag against his forehead. Drops of water trickled down his face, along his jaw and dripped onto his grungy shoulder.

"You shaved my face," Max stated, his voice low and gravelly. He licked at his dry, cracked lips and was grateful when she dabbed the rag against his mouth.

"You looked more like an animal than a man," Capable replied with a grin. He almost smiled back and sat up, ignoring her protests. He stretched each muscle carefully, testing himself for any strain or tension. There were no wounds, just filth and grime and a touch of dizziness.

 _Where are you, Max?_

"Where am I?" he asked, glancing around. He realized the answer was obvious. There was a large variety of makeshift medical supplies, cots, and even a small array of sick patients.

"The infirmary. You passed out in front of the Citadel's gates; dehydration," Capable explained. He gave a single nod of his head and stood up, eyeing a chair that held his shirt and jacket. Max grabbed the clothing and pulled them on, proceeding to check his backpack for his weapons and supplies. Everything was where it should've been and he tilted his head approvingly.

 _We can't run forever, Max. My legs are getting tired, I'm only six._

"Look, you're not hurt or anything, but you really should lie down and get some rest. You're really dehydrated," the lovely redhead said, handing him a bowl of water. He snatched it and drank greedily, not caring that some of it spilled down his neck and soaked the top of his shirt. He was exhausted, starving and the hallucinations had come back. But he wasn't going to stay. He couldn't stay. He didn't belong here. His muscles ached to rest and his stomach growled for food. He knew that Capable could see how he was feeling, and it made him uncomfortable. He turned so that his back faced her, choosing not to answer her suggestion and instead focused on clearing his head to prepare for his journey back out. The door of the infirmary swung open and both Max and Capable looked over.

"Max," Furiosa said, her chest rising and falling quickly. It was clear she'd come as quick as she could. For a moment, there was silence as the two studied each other. Furiosa looked the same; strong, determined and independent, built of lithe muscle and lean form. Her eyes glinted with concern as she looked him over, inspecting for any kind of wound or sign of illness. He stood silently, allowing the examination, unmoving. It seemed he'd passed; Furiosa strode over and curled her good arm around his neck, her hand cupping the back of his head and bringing him towards her, until their foreheads met. Her head was bowed, eyes closed. Max did the same, his hand against the back of her head. He could feel her fingers curl tightly into his hair yet he didn't flinch away.

"You're okay? No injuries?" Furiosa asked, releasing him and taking a step back. Max hummed in response, his head jerking in a quick nod. He was relieved to see how well she seemed to be doing.

" _Why, Max? Why are you okay? We're dead. We're all dead. Except you."_

"…around."

Max stared at Furiosa, eyebrows furrowing. She stared back at him, and then glanced at Capable, who was also looking at Max oddly.

"Did you hear me?" Furiosa asked.

 _The child sat on the ground by Furiosa's feet, clutching a sprained ankle while shrieking in pain. The screams didn't last long; the truck sprang out of nowhere and ran her over. The tires crunched her spine into dust._

Max stared in horror at the child's broken, mutilated body. He stumbled backwards, away from the corpse, tripping over a cable and falling backward.

"Max!" Furiosa hurried over and knelt beside him. She looked at Capable, who had also knelt down by his other side. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. Capable didn't have an answer, her pink lips parting in confusion. Furiosa took Max's jaw in one of her hands and forced him to look at her. He had turned a sickly pale color, and his eyes were wide and wild. Capable jumped up and grabbed water. When she came back to press the cold, wet rag against his face, his arms and legs had begun to shake with tremors.

 _"Why didn't you wait for me to catch up? Why didn't you check to see if I was still alive?" the dead girl wailed, popping up in between him and Furiosa. Her neck was twisted at an impossible angle._

Max shoved at the ghost, but she'd disappeared. Instead, he shoved Furiosa, taking her by surprise. She lost her footing from where she squat, and she fell backward.

"Are you with us, Max?" Capable asked gently, wiping his sweating face. Furiosa quietly got back up and looked at him levelly. Her question was met with silence that dragged on for an uncomfortable length of time. Suddenly, Max's eyes rolled back in his head and the only thing keeping him in a sitting position was Furiosa's arm wrapped around his back and Capable holding his bicep.

"Lay him down!" Capable insisted. Furiosa quickly obeyed, carefully lowering Max onto his back. He'd barely touched the ground when he started having a seizure, eyes shut tight.

 **A/N  
** **Thanks for reading! If you liked it, leave a review, please!**


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